The present invention relates to a grinder/polisher. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved slide holder for a sample holder for a grinder/polisher.
Grinder/polishers are in use in many industries. They are often used to prepare samples of rocks, metals, polymers, ceramics or the like for further examination, such as by microscopic examination.
Grinder/polishers include a sample or specimen holder that is configured to rotate relative to a platen that is also configured to rotate. In this manner, there are two rotating motions occurring simultaneously. A typical sample holder is a round plate that mounts, at its center, to a chuck. The plate has a multiple openings equally radially spaced and equally circumferentially spaced from one another. For example, the plate can include six (round) openings spaced 60 degrees from one another and equally spaced from the center. The specimens are each mounted to a support and each support is positioned in one of the holder openings. A hold-down finger applies pressure to each support to urge the specimen against the platen. One such grinder/polisher is the EcoMet 250, commercially available from ITW-Buehler of Lake Bluff, Ill. Such a grinder polisher is also disclosed in copending Shewey, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/470,757, which is commonly assigned with the present application and which is incorporated herein by reference.
A slurry, generally abrasive, is injected onto the platen to provide an abrasive medium for grinding and polishing the specimen.
Certain samples, such as rocks are typically examined by creating a very thin sample of the rock mounted to a glass slide. The sample is mounted to the slide so that it can be observed through a microscope. In order to grind the sample it is desirable to mount it to the slide prior to grinding so that the thin rock sample is minimally handled after it is prepared. That is, the rock is prepared (ground) mounted to the glass slide.
One known mount or slide holder for the glass slide includes a plate that mounts to the bottom of the sample holder. The plate has pair of spaced apart stems that insert up, into the openings in the holder. During the grinding/polishing process the hold-down fingers apply a pressure on the stems which in turn urges the sample into contact with the platen. The stems each include an o-ring positioned about the stem to create a friction fit between the stem and the opening in the sample holder.
While such an arrangement functions well, it has been observed that the slide holder can become difficult to remove from the holder (the stem becomes stuck in the opening), or conversely, the stem is not adequately friction fit (e.g., not secured) in the opening and can fall out when the sample holder is raised from the platen.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved slide holder for use in a grinder/polisher sample holder. Desirably, such a slide holder positively holds a slide thereto for preparation for examination. More desirably, such a slide holder is easily positioned in the sample holder and is secured or locked in place during the grinding/polishing process and is readily released from the sample holder for examination, further processing or the like.